Electrical power is one of the most important components of our everyday lives. We use electrical energy to almost everything, from electronics, to water heaters, to light bulbs and even cars. However, generating the electrical power that we need has not always been an easy process. Most of our electrical power is generated by burning coal and/or from hydroelectric generation. Burning coal can be expensive and may have adverse effects on the environment, wherein the environmental effects of hydro-electric generation are not as extreme, but may still disrupt a very fragile eco-system.
Hydro-electricity generators change the energy of moving water into electrical energy. The generators may produce electrical current by using a continuous flow of water to turn a water turbine that is connected to an electricity generator and/or alternator. Water flows from a dam or reservoir to the turbine through a huge pipe called a penstock. The water passes through a spiral-shaped pipe making it spin. The spinning water makes the turbine turn. In order to maintain consistency, the speed of the turbine should remain constant so that the amount of electrical energy being produced remains the same at all times. Any fluctuation in the amount of electrical energy being produced could cause instability and breakdown of the generators and/or circuits and capacitors used to contain and store the electrical energy produced. The amount of electricity that may be produced from hydro-electric generation may depend on the rate on which the water flows and the difference in height between the water in the top of the dam or reservoir and the water in the lower part for the reservoir below the turbine.
The first hydro-electric generation process began in 1882 and one of the largest electrical plants is located in Niagra Falls, USA. As the need for electricity increased, it became necessary to build more and more dams and/or reservoirs to produce hydro-electricity.
However, as more and more hydro-electric stations go up, so do the number of dams and reservoirs necessary to facilitate the hydro-electric generation process. The increased number of dams and reservoirs have an adverse affect on the environment around them, by swamping lush growing land, and disrupting the natural flow of water. Moreover, the institution of dams and reservoirs disrupts the natural ecosystem of an area by creating and/or destroying natural ecosystems.
Therefore, what is needed is a electrical generation device that produces sufficient hydro-electric power without disrupting the natural ecosystem and without creating and maintaining a dam, generator/alternators and the like. Further, a hydro-electric generation device is need that may provide electric energy with minimal effort and minimal disruption to the surrounding environment.